Chapter 10: What is going on?!?!

I woke with a start; the pain seemed to be drowning me like an ocean wave. Where was I? I tried to move but found myself strapped to a table and with the movement come another even stronger wave of pain. My stomach seemed to turn over and I gritted my teeth to stop a cry from escaping. When the pain subsided I looked around at my surroundings. Everything was white, except in front of me there glowed something blue. It was the map; I was back in the laboratory. I looked to my left and noticed something covered by a sheet on another table.

“Allie” I cried

“Rhys” there was relief in her voice. “Oh, Rhys………I’m sorry, I had to tell them where you were, they threatened to hurt my parents” she blurted.

“I understand” I replied “It’s alright; I probably would have done the same.”

After a moments silence I asked “What happened to you at the lake?”

She explained about the snake bite, being captured, and the threats. “After I told them where you were, they left me alone. Then the doctor snuck back in and gave me a blood transfusion, and an anti-venom shot. And I feel much better; he said that I would be in perfect health in a week or 2.”

“Good, I’m sorry I got you into all this trouble.” I said

“That’s alright” She paused as if she was going to ask me something then stopped.

After a few minutes I couldn’t take the suspense “What were you going to ask me?”

“I was just going to ask why you lied to me” She said softly.

She didn’t need to elaborate on what she meant.

“If I’d told you the truth would you have believed me?” I asked

“Probably not, but that was before we were friends. After we were friends you could have told me. I would have believed you then.”

Before I could respond there was a slight noise outside the laboratory door. There was no need to tell Allie what I was thinking, we both knew, pretend to sleep. After a minute the lab doors opened silently and a person moved quickly and quietly to where we were.

“Rhys” it was a woman’s voice “Rhys, wake up, I’m here to help you both escape”

Normally I wouldn’t have believed anything a stranger said. Especially one I couldn’t see, but something deep within me told me I could trust her. I opened my eyes and found myself face to face with her. She immediately began undoing my bonds, but when she looked down at my leg, where the needle was, she stopped.

She quickly looked around, and then a triumphant smirk crossed her face. She walked over and picked up a large standing battery.

“When I pull out the needle I’m going to attach it to the battery. This will fool the people watching the electricity you’re supplying into thinking that you’re still here.”

She quickly pulled the needle out and attacked it into the battery’s electrical supply.

“Okay, let’s get your friend free, and we’ll get out of this place.”

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It all happened so fast, it seemed like a dream. We cautiously exited the lab, and ran down the long hallway toward a winding staircase.

“Where are the guards?” I asked, because when I’d been taken here there had been guards everywhere it seemed.

“They’re bound and gagged in a closet back there” She replied. After a second she continued “My partner is upstairs getting Dylan”

“Dylan is here?” Rhys asked

“Yes. I’ll lead the way up the stair case, Rhys you take up the rear.”

“Who are you?” I asked

“I’ll introduce myself later” was all she said before she started us up the stairs

We made it up the stairs and out the large front door, in a matter of seconds.

I didn’t like or trust this woman, she may have been young and pretty, with her brown wavy hair and dark blue eyes. But she knew too much about Rhys and whoever this Dylan was. She also moved around the building too comfortably. I suspected a trap, but Rhys didn’t; besides, she had helped us get free back there. I decided to go along with this for the time being, but intended to keep my eyes on her.

We disappeared deep into the shadows the trees provided at this time of night. We went back far enough so we wouldn’t be seen, but where we could still see the doors to the lab building.

“Why are we stopping here?” I asked

“Because we have to look for Dustin and Dylan” she replied

“What is going on? Who are Dustin and Dylan?” I asked, my patience was almost gone.

“Dustin in my partner, and Dylan is a girl who was kidnaped because she has similar powers as Rhys”

“How do you know…..” I never finish my sentence because just then the door opened and a tall man rushed out carrying what I assumed was Dylan.

The woman let go a bird call whistle, and the man, who I assumed was Dustin, came running towards us.

“Everything alright? How is Dylan?” the woman asked

“She’s very weak, but I think she’ll get better. We should leave now” he said.

“Yes, the boat’s back there” she said pointing back further into woods “We’ll be there in a minute”

Suddenly there was a shout from the building, and then lights were going off everywhere and an alarm started sounding.

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We ran through the trees and suddenly emerged into a clearing with sand. And there a speed boat was moored.

I jumped aboard and gave my hand down to Allie and helped her up. Then Dylan was passed up to me, and Dustin and the woman climbed up. She went and started the boat and we were out just as a group of men rushed into the clearing.

When we were out at sea, the woman slowed our speed down a little. Dustin walked over to me “Rhys, would you watch Dylan for a minute, she’s still unconscious, but I think she’ll be waking soon. I want to talk to Tarra” he said pointing at the woman.

He walked away and they seemed to be having a disagreement. I saw her straighten her back and shake her head. But after a few moments of Dustin talking she let out a sigh and gave him control of the boat.

She walked over to me and sat down.

“How are you feeling?” She asked.

“Fine….now that is.”

“Yeah.” She was behaving like she had something to say.

“Who is that girl over there?” she asked finally.

“That’s Allie, she’s my neighbor” I replied.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I have a house along on the coast where we can stay and regroup. We’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”

Allie came over and sat down next to the two of us.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m Tarra.” She stopped, and then continued “I’ll explain everything when we get to my house. But this isn’t the place”

Twenty minutes later we arrived at a small dock, in an inlet.

We made our way up to a small white house with forest green shutters. It was nicely, but simply furnished.

She showed us to the table and placed some sandwiches and milk on the table, which we ate greedily. After we were satisfied Tarra asked “Would you like some rest or the explanation?”

We wanted information, of course!

She pulled out a picture and handed it to me.

I looked at it with surprise; this was a picture of my parents!

I had lived with the Taylors since I was 2, but I had known they weren’t my biological parents. When I was 10 they had told me that my parents had been killed in an accident, and they had a picture of them. This picture!

“Confused?” Tarra asked

“What are you doing with my parent’s picture?” I asked

“Our parent’s picture. They were mine too.”

“Wait a minute, you’re saying that you’re my sister? How is that possible?”

“It’s a long story but I’ll try and make it short. When you were 2 and I was 9 Mom and Dad died in a car accident. But the story begins long before that. In 1656 A.D. there was a war between the Ilvans and the Magmans, the Magmans won. The king was very grateful to a certain man, Peter, who had saved his life during battle; so grateful that he bestowed him and all of his descendants with special powers. Peter was our relative. You’ve received one of these gifts. After Mom and Dad died, we were adopted into different families. Each of us was given a picture of Mom and Dad. Before they died they told me about our past, and told me of the family book that records all the happenings. I’ve been trying to find you for the last 7 years, but it proved harder than expected. The book explains that when the male of the family turns 13 he is given his full powers, but if he wants to control them he needs to travel back to Magmanis and recite the family poem at the ancestral castle.” She paused, took a drink of her milk and continued “There’s good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?”

“The good news” I replied

“The good news is once you’ve recited the family poem no one will be able to tap your powers. The bad news is the Ilvans are a people who have since died off. And you, Dylan and I are the only Magmans left. Dylan is our distant cousin. We don’t know where Magmanis is, or where our ancestral castle is but we have to find it before we can stop those thugs coming after us.”

I just sat there; my brain seemed to be in overload. I had a sister I never knew I had, I found out about my past, and there was a way to control my electricity. Sure we had to find our castle, but we could do it! Of course there was always the question of HOW!!!